This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/788,638, filed Apr. 3, 2006, for “Aviation Navigational and Flight Management Systems and Methods Utilizing Radar Vectoring,” the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present application pertains to aviation navigational and flight management systems and methods and, more particularly, to improved systems and methods for utilizing radar vectors in conjunction with navigational guidance information. Such systems and methods can be used for numerous applications including, but not limited to, real-time correction of navigational guidance based upon real-time off-course operations.
Current electronic aviation navigation systems allow an operator to prepare a desired flight plan between two locations. The flight plan data, which can be presented as a two-dimensional moving map or three-dimensional view, can be visualized on an electronic display, with an associated computer providing the visualization. As an aerial vehicle travels along the desired flight plan path, the actual location of the vehicle can be marked or indicated on the display relative to the desired flight plan. A course deviation indicator (“CDI”) can be used to indicate to an operator how far off course a vehicle is relative to a desired course, allowing the operator to adjust the actual flight of the vehicle to attempt to match the desired flight plan. As such, current navigation systems can provide aerial vehicle operators with information to maintain a flight path consistent with a predetermined desired flight plan.
During actual flight operations, however, off-course operations are often initiated by Air Traffic Control (“ATC”) or other sources to maintain safe air traffic operations due to heavy air traffic or poor weather conditions. Such operations are typically based on specified vectors indicating heading and altitude to be maintained by the aircraft. Such headings can be provided on an absolute, relative, or magnetic basis. Off-course operations are not accommodated by existing aviation navigation systems. Upon deviating from a desired flight plan due to a directed off-course radar vectoring, the navigation system constantly indicates the “erroneous” flight path of the vehicle, though such deviation is an intended operation. Accordingly, off-course vectoring is often performed manually, with vectoring directions written down on paper by aircraft pilots who are busily performing other piloting functions. Furthermore, upon completing off-course vectoring operations, the originally plotted flight path may not provide an efficient flight plan to the intended destination because the aerial vehicle's location is far from the desired path. Though a new flight path to the final destination may be replotted relative to the vehicle's current location, such recalculation can be disruptive to aerial vehicle operators during flight operations. These problems can be further compounded if multiple off-course vectoring operations occur during a particular trip.
An object of this invention is to provide improved methods and devices for aerial navigation.
A further object is to provide such methods and apparatus as are adapted for accommodating off-course vectoring operations.
A still yet further object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as are adapted for use with visualization navigation aids.